May 05, 2026

Vivekji shared that he was interacting with some seekers recently, trying to encourage them to commit to completing a half marathon, and they were sharing about how their hearts are not designed for this, and their knees are not designed for this. Vivekji shared how running from the mind community is not for our knees and hearts, but rather for us. There’s nothing that he does for more than two hours straight that is as repetitive as jogging. The reason he brought this up now, is to gage our steadiness with our study group, our steadiness is not of one week or 10 weeks, but 32 weeks. That’s a majority of the year to be part of this study group, week after week after week. Can I do this the way that people jog, or the way that people drive and they feel the purpose of this? Can I feel the same purpose with this study group? With jogging, you feel your weight loss with driving you feel you’re getting from point A to point B. But with this study, what’s happening? What changes there? Is there transformation? As Vivekji commenced a review of our entire course, he challenged us to reflect on how much time have we have given to each verse of Manahshodhanam. Collectively (samashti), it is 32 hours. But how much time have we given (vyashti)?

Pujya Swami Tejomayananda has written a series of self development maps, which collectively are known as the sadhana sopāna. Sopāna means a ladder. There are four maps of self development that increase in intensity based on our evolution. Manahshodhanam is step one. The next is known as Jnana sāra. Number three is Dhyana, swarupa. Number four is bhakti, Sudha. Manahshodhanam is number one, because only when our mind is quiet enough, can we start to appreciate Jnana Sara, and we can start to use our intellect to inquire. When our intellect becomes still enough, then number three is Dhyana svarupa, where I come to feel that I’m more than my ego. And then finally, number four is bhakti Sudha, where I surrender this ego to existence, to Bhagavan. Therefore, if Manashodhara is solid, the rest of the maps will become solid too. If you have a strong foundation, everything built on that foundation becomes better.

The first part of our course was in September and October. We flowed through verses one through four in September and October,

Verse 1: The main teachings in this verse are about insight and loss. These first four verses are very broad, and that’s why there’s almost two themes that are presented, theme in line one and theme in line two, insight and loss.

Verse 2: The themes were contradiction and disintegration.

Verse 3: This was on likes and dislikes. This is the main characteristic of the mind. It almost goes through this tunnel of either likes or dislikes.

Verse 4: The themes were floating and confusing.

The second wave of our course was November and December

Verse 5: The theme is absolute.

Verse 6: To have the resolve to live for the absolute. And then, relatedly, in

Verse 7: This was on resolution.  Pujya Swami Tejomayanada shared many practices from the Bhagavad Gita for us to take a sankalpa for this to be our resolution. And then finally,

Verse 8: This verse was on Inquiry which is the main emphasis of Manahshodhanam

The third wave of our course was January and February.

Verse 9: The theme was revealing. Inquiry helps to reveal what’s in our heart.

Verse 10: What is the methodology for inquiry? This was shared.

Verse 11: This was on vices. Vices of the mind, of the intellect, of the ego.

Verse 12: These vices don’t just float, but there’s a locust to these vices. And these vices belong to the ego, not to the Spirit.

Verse 13: What’s beyond the ego, is the spirit which is not susceptible or vulnerable to any sort of vasanas, vices and so on.

Verse 14: The cause for which we’ve gone from being independently joyous to dependently stressful, from joyful to stressful was addressed.

Verses 15 and 16: The themes were separation and exhaustion. The more we feel separation, the more we feel exhaustion. So Unity is really a form of release or relief.

Verses 17 and 18: These focused on decision and solution, to make a decision that I’m going to live for my evolution, because this is the only solution to actually finding peace.

The fourth part of our course was March and April.

Verses 19 to 22: The main theme has been action. There’s a vice, there’s a value. If I act on this value, this will become a virtue. What was cool? What is cool about this semester is we also had specific discussions just with our Devis on how action can become more real. And also in this portion of our course, we had our pareeksha, our exit test.

Verse 23 and 24: The themes were exertion and excellence. If we exert, we will be excellent.

Recap of last class:

Verses 23 and 24: These verses are an extension of what is shared in verse 22. In verse 22 Guru bhaktiya is shared as the penicillin for all viruses. The power of Guru Bhakti comes from the rationale that a guru shows accessibility, actionability and accountability. Accessibility, this is our personal guide. Actionability, they’re living like this already, so they know how to advise and accountability, A guru doesn’t want anything from us, other than for us to feel peace. So by being dedicated to one’s guide, these three necessary A’s come very smoothly and powerfully into our lives. In verse 23, Vimishrami means to reflect. What is the utility of reflecting? Prapashyami. There is a feeling. Reflecting equals feeling. The more you reflect on the science of oneness, the more you feel the science of oneness.

Verse 24:. Translation: Thus, by the grace of the Lord and of my teacher, what is there in this world that cannot be accomplished by me? Hence, I am now free from all anxieties.  The most difficult becomes the most easy because of God’s grace and the Guru’s guidance.

This Class:

Verse 25:

prāpsyāmi sheeghram manaso hi shuddhim leenā swaroope bhavitā cha buddhih;

pashyan nijānanda- swaroopa- lokam, sukham charinyāmi sadā vimuktah.

Prapashyami= feeling

Sheeghram= I will feel quickly

Manasahi shuddhim= the purity of my mind. I have faith in the trust triangle, and so I’m going to follow and I will feel this purity in my mind. Then what will happen?

Lina= to dissolve.

Swaroope bharvita chabuddhih= my intellect will dissolve into my nature.

This is the translation of line one, making this more relative purity equals clarity. The more pure I am in my inner world, the more clear I am that beyond my inner world is my nature, and what is my nature? Pashya,not seeing with one’s eyes, but feeling.

It is nejananda Swaroopa= now that I felt my nature, it’s the same nature in the loka. With my eyes closed, what I feel is the same with my eyes open.

Sukham, charinyami= Wherever I go, there is Peace

Sada vimuktah= I am ever free

When one feels their nature is joy, there is an extreme amount of allowance. When you just allow an entity, that entity can be. So you start to be and because you have this extreme allowance, what comes outside is extreme acceptance. Allowance and acceptance, that’s the order. First I find peace inside (allowance), then peace outside (acceptance). And finally, we come to a really powerful quarter in Acharya Shankara’s Atma Bodha. Asakto Vayu vachare, which means for the one who is joyous, they are independent, and they flow like the wind. With so much allowance and acceptance, they are free. This is Manahshodhana, this is our horoscope, astrology, our future, our design, our architectural map. This is us.

Vivekji ended the course by offering prayers to Pujya Swami Tejomayananda, to manahsodhana, to Sri Krishna, to continue to grace us through guidance, even more intensely for this final verse to become as real to us as our name is to us, as our body is to us.